Eddie Murphy has thrilled fans by announcing that Donkey, the beloved character from the “Shrek” series, will headline a spinoff movie.
As Epic Stream reports, the talkative donkey, a staple since the franchise’s debut in 2001, follows in the footsteps of Puss in Boots, who received a standalone movie.
In a Screen Rant interview, Murphy shared that the Donkey spinoff will start production this fall, with a release expected in about three years. “We’re still in the booth, and literally, we’re still doing Shrek [5]. We start in September on Donkey — we’re doing a Donkey one, and that’ll [be released] three years from now,” he said. The actor is currently recording for “Shrek 5” while gearing up for the spinoff.
The Donkey film will explore a comedic storyline featuring his dragon wife and their hybrid donkey-dragon kids. “Donkey’s going to have his own movie — [his] own little story with his dragon wife and his kids that are half-dragon and half-donkeys. They’ve written this funny story,” Murphy teased. Production is slated to begin in September.
Meanwhile, “Shrek 5” is on track for a December 2026 release, with Murphy, Mike Myers, and Cameron Diaz returning, with Zendaya joining the cast Felicia.
The Donkey spinoff promises to deliver the humor and heart that have made Donkey a fan favorite for over two decades.
The 2001 animated feature “Shrek” is the first in the Shrek series, is based on William Steig’s 1990 book and follows Shrek (Mike Myers), an ogre who, with the talkative Donkey (Murphy), rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) to reclaim his swamp from the scheming Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow). Directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, the film, initially developed by Steven Spielberg and later by DreamWorks under Jeffrey Katzenberg, shifted from traditional animation to computer animation by Pacific Data Images after Chris Farley’s death led to Myers taking the role.
Premiering at Cannes in 2001, it grossed over $492 million worldwide, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of that year. Lauded for its humor, animation, and voice performances, “Shrek” won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay, earning a spot among the American Film Institute’s top 10 films of 2001.
Source: EURweb/Ny MaGee
